Paris perspectives: Paralympian, students and fans

Photo top row: Shriners Children’s Lexington patient Zion Redington on USA Wheelchair Rugby team; UK alums pose with the Olympic Rings in Paris; UK alums with gold medalist Lee Kiefer. 
Photo bottom row: “Business Goes Global” students in Paris for summer education abroad; UK alum with UK Volleyball alum Avery Skinner on Team USA.

PARIS (Aug. 30, 2024) — The City of Lights is once again welcoming sports fans from around the world for the 2024 Paralympic Games.

More than 4,400 athletes with physical impairments from approximately 170 countries will compete in 22 sports in the games. Gold, silver and bronze medals will include a piece of the iconic Eiffel Tower embedded in them.  

Like the 2024 Paris Olympics, the Opening Ceremonies were held outside of a stadium and in the heart of Paris. Paralympians paraded through the iconic Avenue des Champs-Elysees to Place de la Concorde.

UKNow is looking ahead to the Paralympic Games and looking back at some of the ways the UK community experienced Paris.

Experiencing Paris as an athlete

One Paralympian credits his time in Lexington for helping him discover his passion for sports.

Zion Redington was named to the USA Wheelchair Rugby team last year. He was 17 at the time making him the youngest player ever to join the Paralympic rugby squad.

Redington was born in China with ectrodactyly, a genetic condition that caused him to have just one finger on each hand and one toe on each foot. He had both feet amputated and underwent three surgeries.

The Redingtons also developed a close relationship with Ryan Muchow, M.D., a pediatric orthopedic surgeon at Shriners Children’s Lexington and Kentucky Children’s Hospital (KCH).

Shriners Children’s and KCH have a unique collaboration. Together, they are ranked in the Top 50 in the country for pediatric orthopedic care by U.S. News & World Report Best Children’s Hospitals.

Redington would continue his care at Shriners Children’s and have opportunities that changed his life.

“Zion sat in a chair designed for basketball for the first time at Shriners Children’s,” said Heather Redington-Whitlock, Zion’s mother. “They showed us netball and many other sports which allowed us to realize, ‘Hey, people really do play in their chairs.’ As a mom, Shriners Children’s gave me the opportunity to see there’s a whole new world for Zion as an amputee.”

Redington played both wheelchair basketball and rugby growing up, but he grew to love the intense physicality of rugby and quickly excelled at the sport.

The U.S. wheelchair rugby team opened its Paralympic run Aug. 29 with a 51-48 win over Canada. You can keep up with the team's progress here.

Experiencing Paris as students

Students in the University of Kentucky Gatton College of Business and Economics went abroad for an immersive look into global commerce, international and intercultural communication and the future of the world of work.

Josh Taylor, senior director of the Graham Office of Career Management, led the group of students for “Business Goes Global” in Paris with Shane Hadden, deputy chair of students and a senior lecturer in the Gatton College.

They focused on how the iconic city prepared to welcome the global community to the Summer Olympics and the Paralympics.

“Our education abroad program focused on that preparation through business, intercultural and career development lenses,” said Taylor.

Students presented their research on how official corporate sponsors of the games leveraged the moment to reach worldwide audiences.

“The creativity, communicative skill, business acumen and intercultural competencies on display gave me more than a glimpse into the exciting careers these students will soon be launching,” said Taylor.

Taylor also shared the special connection he and Hadden have with Paris.

“France is a core part of each of our stories, going back to the formative years of our early education and careers, and to have the opportunity to introduce this city we both love to a new generation of emerging professionals is something we carry with enormous gratitude.”

Experiencing Paris as fans

UK set a school record with 24 student-athletes, alumni and coaches in the Paris Olympics who represented nine countries across six sports in the Games. Eleven Wildcats won 13 medals — nine gold, two silver and two bronze.

Of course, members of Big Blue Nation were in the stands to cheer on those Cats and Team USA, including UK alums Diane Massie, Jill Rappis and Kevin Collins who are all involved in the UK Alumni Association.

From the Opening Ceremony to volleyball to fencing, the trio showed their support and shared many of their favorite moments with UKNow. Those included cheering for UK’s Lee Kiefer on the Today Show after she won another gold medal in individual foil fencing and a gold in team foil. Many viewers also spotted Collins in the Today Show crowd in his Team USA best.

They also watched UK Volleyball alum Avery Skinner compete with Team USA Volleyball. Skinner would go on to win a silver medal with Team USA. The three were in the crowd as Simone Biles became the most decorated U.S. Olympic gymnast in history. Collins called it one of the greatest sporting moments of his life.

“It has truly been a trip of a lifetime that I’ve dreamed of since a child,” said Collins. It was his first time attending the Olympic Games. Massie and Rappis have attended many of the Games.

“From beautiful sunsets at beach volleyball with the Eiffel Tower as the backdrop to exploring the different venues, we had a beautiful time in Paris,” said Massie. “Seeing the tower twinkle at night — I couldn’t have asked for anything more spectacular.”